Taco Bus plans improvements ahead of major expansion

TAMPA, Fla. — Last week 10News was first to tell you about big expansion plans for Taco Bus.

New partners hope to take the Tampa-based food truck company state-wide and potentially expand across the country with new franchised locations.

The new management team tells 10News they also hope to help alleviate the company’s previous problems with failing health inspections.

Just last week, we’ve learned the original Taco Bus location on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa was shut down yet again for major health code violations, including rodent activity.

A state health inspector reports finding more than 40 rodent droppings under storage shelves near the walk-in cooler and two dead rodents on sticky traps in the same area.

In our interview with a Taco Bus spokesperson last week, the company blamed many of the issues on old buildings which will soon be removed to make way for a new $2 million dollar state-of-the art kitchen and dining room.

Taco Bus management tells us they’ve brought in a quality control manager to ensure all their locations are operating above state standards.

Other existing Taco Bus locations will also be getting similar kitchen makeovers.

Taco Bus sent us the following written statement in response to their latest health inspections:

“We care very much for our customers and the quality of the Taco Bus experience. As you may know, we have recently announced a $2-million dollar investment into our Hillsborough location as well as several new locations. Our warehouse was the only structure cited in this report. As we have already shared, we are demolishing this building and building a brand new state-of-the-art facility in its place.

"Although we plan to demolish this building, we have had construction done to remedy the situation and any concerns. We have hired a new manager for this location and a new national pest control company specializing in restaurants.

"Some additional changes that will benefit all eight of our restaurants include the hiring of a trainer who will ensure all of our more than 200 employees provide the best service for our customers. We have also hired a quality control inspector who will work with each location to ensure that all restaurants consistently offer the highest quality experience.”